Payment volume expands 12.8 percent to 491.5 trillion rubles
Total transaction turnover in Russia rose 12.8 percent to 491.5 trillion rubles across 32.1 billion operations in the second quarter of 2026. The share of non-cash payments in retail turnover edged down by 0.5 percentage points to 88.4 percent amid higher cash demand.
Faster rails and corporate volume lead rebound
Corporate settlements drove 70 percent of overall volume growth, reaching 400.4 trillion rubles across 2.2 billion operations, with intercompany transfers accounting for 88 percent of business turnover.
Consumer payments expanded to 29.9 billion transactions worth 91.1 trillion rubles.
The Faster Payments System handled 5.1 billion transfers and payments totaling 29.9 trillion rubles, representing a 13 percent volume increase from the previous quarter and capturing 55 percent of all consumer money transfers.
Interbank settlements processed across the national network rose 14 percent to 1,678 trillion rubles, with the Bank of Russia Payment System clearing 83 percent of all interbank value.
Alternative channels erode traditional plastic
Non-card methods accounted for 15.1 percent of non-cash consumer payments, supported by QR codes, biometrics, and Bluetooth transactions.
Total issued debit and credit cards dropped 4 percent to 525.6 million as lenders phased out inactive international payment scheme cards while Mir issuance increased.
Meanwhile, the physical terminal fleet stabilized at 5.4 million POS devices and 132.9 thousand ATMs, with 70 percent of terminals now supporting QR code payments.
Digital dominance meets structural limits
The figures demonstrate a mature domestic payment grid that easily handles high transaction loads.
Yet a slight uptick in cash usage and flat POS counts show retail digitization is nearing natural saturation.
Real network expansion now hinges on corporate B2B automation rather than converting cash holdouts.
Source: Payment trends in Russia: 2026 Q2 results
IN: